"Their ETA is five minutes!" Wren yells out, and we all scramble to finish getting ready. The 'their' in question is Oaklynn, Ivy, and Levi. Wren and I made a plan to have them get her earlier than everyone else, so they can purposefully get front row seats because during intermission between the second and third period, we have a plan that is hopefully going to embarrass me and make Oaklynn swoon a little.
Coach walks into the locker, eyes scanning the room. "Obviously, I won't give a big ass speech since everyone's mind isn't on the game," his eyes lock on mine, "I'm however going to ask that while you are all super excited to see your captain humiliate himself, you keep your eyes on the prize tonight. If you can do that, then we won't have early morning practice for a week." We all hoot and holler. Coach holds up a hand, and we go silent, "But if you fail to win, you will have a humiliated captain and early morning suicides."
He nods at me, and I turn to the team, "As Coach said, we're here to play a game. Watching me humiliate myself is just a perk of me being your captain. Because, let's face it, I'm fucking awsome." The guys laugh, and I allow them to for a moment. When their laughter dies down, we run through the game plans for the game and intermission.
Halfway through the run through, Bryce yells out, "They're here!" I don't exactly know why we're so worried about when they'd arrive since we already had a plan to block off seats for them if they weren't here early, but I guess Kane and Bryce wanted to feel useful during this. Dustin is useful by checking on his sister everyday, even when she's not there, but really he goes over there to see Ivy.
"Okay guys, are we ready to do this shit?" Wren yells, and the whole team cheers. "Good! Let's get out there and get this win!" He cheers, leading the team out of the locker room. As they file out, they all cheer and hoot.
When they're all out, I go to follow, but Coach stops me, "Are you sure about this kid? This will probably get put on the school website and whatever social media you kids use. It could ruin a serious future for you." He warns, and I shrug.
I already know the risks of doing this. "She's worth it Coach." I tell him with every ounce of certainty I have in my body. She'll always be worth it, even when I fuck up. She's it for me, and everyone knows that. And tonight, I show her and thousands of other people that. The puck will end up in her possession, what she does with it is what I follow.
Coach nods, "Okay then. Get out there and start warming up. We have a game to play on top of whatever the fuck it you decided to do." I grin at him. Coach is all on board for Oaklynn and I getting back together, mainly because I've been moping around and he's sick of it, but also because I told him I plan on humiliating myself and for some reason he was all for that.
We end our conversation, and I head out to the ice. Nerves and anxiety swarm my stomach, and I feel like I am seconds away from throwing up the breakfast I had earlier. When I get on the ice, I notice that our group is together, so I skate over there, I'm halfway there when I realize what Oaklynn is wearing. A white jersey with the number eighty five on it.
Not just any jersey. My mother fucking jersey.
I shake off my shock, and skate over to them. The moment I'm by Kane, his arm is slung around my shoulder, "Look who finally decided to show up." He teases.
"Coach wanted to talk to his favorite, who am I to deny that?" I joke, and he scowls. "Anyways," I turn away from him, "what are the definite plans for after the game?" I ask, knowing that it doesn't matter what their plans are because I have my own. Levi tells me that they're going to the bar like usual and that they're planning on coming home early to watch movies. Honestly, I zone out because the plans have nothing to do with me.
"What are your plans?" Dustin asks me with a smirk. "Let me guess, you have a date?"
My eyes narrow at him, and he laughs. "It's only a date if she wants it to be." I look to Oaklynn, whose cheeks are flushed. "Do you want it to be a date?" I ask her, her mouth drops open and her eyes widen, everyone else's faces turn into grins. "No rush with the answer, I'll expect one after the game though."
That's technically a lie, I already have a little picnic ready for her. If she says yes to it being a date, then that's great. If she says no, then at least I'll know she's been eating. Because Ivy said her eating habits are almost nonexistent. "I'll think about it." She tells me with a smile, and I nod.
"Great. We better start warming up. Otherwise Coach will choose no for you." I joke, but we all know it's not a joke. We'll probably have our asses handed to us for talking instead of warming up, but that's something we will deal with later. We say bye to the group, and they wish us luck. Then we start our warm up.
Twenty minutes later, and we're sitting on our bench while Coach runs through plays we've worked on. "We have to keep them on their toes. They run hard during the first two periods, and after Holland does his little act during intermission, they'll think we're a joke. So we need to be prepared to play rough during period one and two, and three we'll have to play smart. Don't burn out your energy." Coach tells us. He goes on with the plays he wants us to run, and we all listen intently.
By the time we're on the ice to start the game, adrenaline is pumping through our veins. That's one of my favorite parts of hockey, never really knowing what will happen. We could win, lose, have ten fights, find our first best friends. It's part of the game, and it's like a rush you didn't know you needed until you're on the ice.
We get into our respected line, and wait for the puck to drop. When it does, I follow Coach's advice, and let the opposite team win the face off. As Hogg said, their center passes it to their right winger who breaks into a sprint down towards our goal. Kane chases him down, and steals the puck, passing it to Wren.
Wren skates halfway down the ice, passing it to Derek, who does some type of handy work, making the people on him lose sight of the puck as he passes it to me. The moment he sends the puck my way, one of the defensemen slams into him, sending him into the boards with a loud thund. People gasp, Coach Hogg yells, and we all slow waiting for him to get up. A few silent long beats pass, and then Wren jumps up with a stupid smile on his face.
When I have a nod from him, confirming he's good, I skate towards their goal, and shoot. The buzzer goes off, and the arena bursts into cheer. The team skates into a huddle, clapping my back, and telling me good job. We break apart, ready for the face off.
The second period comes in a flash, we're up by three, and we haven't even burnt ourselves out yet. The other team is a different story. They've slammed Wren into the board so many times he now has a concussion and is sitting this game out. They've had a total of thirty minutes penalty time for fighting, cross checking, high-sticking, slashing, tripping, and a few other things. I guess being on our turf is good for us because their refs hardly ever give them penalties.
We play the second period how we did the first, and are still up by two. As they call out for intermission, the other team is beyond pissed. Cussing, whining, and saying we're paying off the refs. Our team just laughs at them, because we didn't realize we are playing children.
We skate off the ice, and Coach is waiting for us with the bag in hand that will be needed for my little performance that is coming up. "Hurry up, and get changed. You get seven minutes to do whatever it is you're doing." He tells me, and I nod. "The rest of you, help him get into that thing." They do as he says, helping me tear off my gear, and wiggle into the flowy lavender colored dress.
"Thanks guys. I'll buy you a round." I tease and they laugh. They're all on board with me winning Oaklynn back, and are willing to do anything free of charge. "Wren, send the okay." He gives me a nod, sending the message that I'm about to be on the ice.
I shake off the nerves that are building up in my stomach. They aren't nerves because I'm about to be in a dress in front of thousands of people, but because I was this to spark something in Oaklynn. "If we can have everyone's attention please," a lady says through the intercom, "we have a special surprise. If you can turn your attention to the ice, and refrain from talking until the end of the performance, that would be greatly appreciated." When her words cut off, I skate towards the middle of the ice.
Enchanted by Taylor Swift starts playing through the intercom, and I start lip syncing and dancing. The purple dress flows around me, there are phone flashlights waving around, cameras recording, snickers, and awes. The whole time, my focus is on Oaklynn, her rosy cheeks are in a big grin, her body shaking from laughter, and her eyes glossy.
By the time I finish my big number, they're are cheers and claps. "Well that was by far one of the most entertaining intermission shows I have ever seen. Oaklynn James is one very lucky girl, and we want to wish Holland Maddox, the captain of Michigan, and her a wonderful life together." The lady says over the intercom, and Oaklynn's face morphs from giddy to embarrassed in the blink of an eye.
When I skate back to our bench, the whole team cheers, and pat my back. "Dude that was fucking amazing. How long have you been planning that? How long did it take to memorize the words and dance moves?" Drake and Logan ask me, the freshmen twins of the team.
I debate on telling them the trust because it took me longer than I'd like to admit. "It took a few days, and if I'm being honest I was just winging everything." I say with a shrug. Everything I do is winged, from the clothes I wear everyday to how I plan on groveling. My dad says it's one of my beige flags.
As I get praised for my amazing performance, Coach Hogg decides that it wasn't that good, and we need to focus on the game again. "Alright! Captain gave us an amazing halftime show, and we tip our hats to him. But it's time to get serious again, we have twenty more minutes to play. I'm not going to get into the whole usual speech. Just keep playing how you have been, and let's keep winning." He claps, ending his speech. A few beats pass, and then Coach walks away, leaving us on the bench to socialize until we have to be back on the ice.
We stay silent for a moment, then Dustin, Bryce, and Ryan let out a long sigh. "Dudes, this is our last year here. If we make it to the Frozen Four that will be our last game to play." Ryan voices, and we all soak in that information for a moment.
None of us expect to play forever. Some of us will go off to play in the NHL, some of us are already signed to play in the NHL, and the rest of us are planning to work in some other field. We all have a plan, some of plans are good for years to come, and others only go as far as two years. These are the years we really hold on to, and I think we all know that.
"I don't even care about the Frozen Four, I just want to finish this year on a high with all of you. I want to party, I want to stay up and do stupid shit, and I want to have these memories to look back on." Bryce confesses, and we all coo. "Shut the fuck up. I'm trying to be all sweet and shit, and you assholes are ruining it." We break out into laughter at his complaining.
But he does have a point. I'll be out of here next year, and even though I have made a lot of memories on and off the ice, I feel like the ones I have aren't enough. The whole college experience has flown by, and I can honestly admit that I am sad it's ending soon. I remember being a scared freshman, not knowing anyone, meeting Dustin and Bryce and Kane and Levi for the first time, I remember how nervous I was for my first hockey game. And now, I'm a Junior fixing to be a senior, who has an amazing friend group, a awesome fucking girlfriend, and a very big family.
Life goes by so fucking fast, and I'm not ready to walk away from my college days yet. Not because of the parties, definitely not because of the girls, but because there's no telling where life will take our group. That scares me more than anything.
"Let's go play some fucking hockey! We have a full bar waiting for us, and some hot chicks!" Wren exclaims, and the guys on the team who are single, cheer. Yeah, when he gets into a committed relationship, I'll probably have a heart attack. There's nothing Wren loves more than having a million girls fawn over him.
Coach tells us what he wants to see on the ice, and then sends the second line out there first. We've learned not to question him because he never has an idea on why he does it. Every year, since I've been here, someone will ask why he lets the second line get more play time in the last period, and his answer is always 'Because, it helps them get seen.'
It makes sense to Coach, so we don't let it bother us. We all get a pretty decent amount of play time, but the first line definitely gets more.
Five minutes into the period, the score ends up being the same as it was when the second period ended. Not a big deal for us since we're up by five, but I'm assuming by the way the other coach is screaming, it is a big deal for the other team. They may play dirty, but they also play sloppy. Which is an advantage for us, and the fact that we watch their old games to figure out what their most used plays are.
Coach looks at us on the bench, gives a nod, and then yells, "Switch." Us who are about to play on the ice jump up, getting ready to jump the wall. And the ones on the ice, sprint towards the wall. "Get 'em!" He yells when we are on the ice. I think he does it to piss off the other team, but we'll ignore that unless they start coming at our throats.
We get into our respective places, and wait for the puck to drop. The moment it does, the other captain and I are fighting for it. "Come on, twinkletoes. Use those little dance moves to get it." The captain taunts, and I nod with a smile. If he'd focus more on the puck, he would have known that Wren is already heading towards their goal. But some people just don't pay attention.
There isn't much movement other than Wren, the person trying to get the puck from him, and the goalie trying to block the shot. When the red light goes off, and Michigan's fans cheer, it finally dawns on him that he's been playing with my stick the whole time, and not fighting for the puck.
I can practically hear Oaklynn say, "That's what he said," at that comment. Which makes me chuckle a little bit, and my eyes glance over to where she's sitting. Damn, this game needs to end already. I am dying to talk to her. It's been way too long. My head snaps back into the game when the ref blows his whistle, and we start the whole process over again.
The game finally ends, and the score is six to one. We felt bad, and let them get a score in. As we shake their hands, one of the guys mumbles something about my ridiculous act during intermission, and we laugh at him. It might have been ridiculous, but it made Oaklynn happy, and gave me some points so I don't give a fuck what everyone else thinks.
When we skate off the ice, Coach starts giving us a speech about the way we played tonight, but I zone out. My mind is now on one thing, well person.
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Hello loves! How are you?
NEXT UPDATE: 11/26/23